How John Newcombe's near-retirement led him to World No. 1

No 1 Club

Listen to your wife: How Newcombe's near-retirement led him to World No. 1

Australian was the second player to reach the top of PIF ATP Rankings

ATP Tour John Newcombe spent eight weeks atop the PIF ATP Rankings in 1974. By ATP Staff

John Newcombe was on the brink of walking away from tennis before he reached the sport’s pinnacle.

Frustrated and uncertain, the Australian nearly hung up his racquets in 1973, only to fight his way back and, in 1974, become the second player to claim No. 1 honours in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“I was actually ready to retire from the game. I went back to my tennis ranch in Texas and my wife said, ‘You better think about it for a couple of days’. I hadn’t played much that year, so my ranking had gone way down,” Newcombe recalled.

“I said, ‘Well, if I’m going to play, I’m going to have to be serious. I’ll play for nine months and then I’ll retire’.”

What started as a last-ditch effort to finish on his terms turned into a blistering run of form, proving Newcombe was far from done.

“I was seeded 10th at the [1973] US Open and I won that. And then I won most of the tournaments I played leading up to the [1974] WCT Finals in Dallas and I won that. And it was after that when I became No. 1," Newcombe said.

Just 10 days after his 30th birthday, Newcombe replaced Ilie Nastase as No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. He spent eight weeks at the summit from 3 June to 28 July 1974, when he was replaced by American Jimmy Connors.

With his signature moustache and a game as bold as his look, Newcombe was a classic serve-and-volleyer. He overwhelmed opponents with his relentless net-rushing mentality, relying on crisp forehand volleys to end points in the forecourt.

Newcombe, who played his final professional match in 1981, resembled old-school toughness. He analysed his rivals exceptionally well and broke them down tactically. But it was not just about strategy, Newcombe’s endurance also allowed him to outlast anybody.

Newcombe captured 41 tour-level singles titles, including seven majors, and earned 568 singles victories at Tour level throughout his illustrious career.

It is safe to say that he was wise in heeding his wife Angie’s advice to think over a near-retirement in the early '70s.

“It’s a great honour to have been named the No. 1 player in the world,” Newcombe said. “Not many people can say that, so I’m very, very privileged.”

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